Apparatus for distilling wood



(No Model.) 7 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. A. F. SCHMITT.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOOD.

Patented Aug. 2, 1887.

(No Model.) v5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- A. P. SGHMITT.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOOD.

Patented Aug. 2, 1887.

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(No Model.) 5 sheets Sheet 3. 'A. P. 'SCHMITT. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOOD.

No. 367,669. Patented Aug. 2,1887.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

A. F. SCHMITT. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING W00D.

No. 367,669. 7 Patented Aug. 2, 1887.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

A. F. SGHMITT. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOOD.

No. 367,669. Patented Aug. 2, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTE F. SOI-IMITT, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING WOQD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,669, dated August 2, 1887.

Serial No.199,986. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, AUGUsrE F. ScHMITT, of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling ood, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a distillery for wood; and the objects of my in vention are, first, to provide an improved retort or retorts so constructed that each retort is adapted to receive an iron basket or slip containing the wood to be distilled. By this means the residue can be easily removed from the retort after the wood has been distilled; second, to provide improved means of introducing superheated steam into the retort, which, in conjunction with the heat from the furnaces beneath the retort-s, effects the dis tillation; third, to provide improved retorts and appliances connected therewith by which all the products of wood distillation are separated one from the other and saved. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the distillery with the boiler, tank-pump, cold-water tank, one of the receivers, and boiler feed-pump omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the distillery and the parts omitted in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of a retort on an enlarged plan, the door of the retort being open. Fig. 4 is a front view of a retort, the door being closed. Fig. 5 is a rear end View of a retort. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a portion of the retort on the line 2 2, Fig. 3, illustrating the arrangement of the openings in the flue-partition plate hereinafter referred to. Fig. 7 is a side or top elevation of the bar and a hand screwbolt by which the door of the retort is securely held in position. Fig. 8

is a sectional elevation of a condenser containing a coil of pipe, showing at its lower termination a trap by which the condensed vapors are discharged and the connection of the'pipe by which the uncondensed vapors are carried to another receiver, together with the manner in which the cold-water and wash-out pipes are attached to the receivers. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the basket or slip. Fig. 10 is an end view of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a representation (parts being shown as broken away) of a distillery somewhat dilierently equipped from that shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference refer to different parts throughout the different views.

The furnaces P, which inclose theretorts,are built in any ordinary way, and as they form 110 part of my invention they will not be particularly described. The fuel can be introduced from the sides, if desired, or at the front thereof at the openings 1?. These openings may be supplied with doors for regulating the draft, grates, &c.

The furnaces are preferably made of the brick. The retorts A are arranged above the furnaces, and have doors a at their front ends, which open outward and downward, and are securely held closed by bars 71 which fit into clasps 2 upon each side of the retort, and the hand screw-bolts 3 which pass through the bars h and have a bearing against the doors a. These retorts are constructed, preferably, of boiler-plate irouin the usual manner. Each retort has a lining, it, (between which and the outer plate there is a space,) which has perforations arranged at regular intervals,which open into the body of the retort (shown at 7:) for the purpose of admitting the superheated steam (which enters through pipes d at the top, near the front of the retort) into the retort. Toward the rear end of the retort an iron plate, at, closely iilled with openings, is fitted into the retort, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. This plate is securely bolted in place, and between which and the rear end of the retort there is a space, m, left, from the bottom of which the pipe 7) leads to the large receiving pipe D.

The door of each retort is preferably made of castiron, and has a beveled inward projection, 0, which fits snugly inside the lining thereof, so that when pressed into position by the hand screw-bolt y it is-air-tight. This door is provided with a hinge, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 1-, in which 2 2 represent lugs seon red to the bottom of the retort, in which is journaled a rod, 3, on which the hinge is pit oted, one part, a, of the hinge extending upward on the outside face of the door when the same is closed, and the other part, at, pending therefrom when the door is in the same position. By this construction,when the door is opened, as represented in full lines in Fi 3, the part on will come to rest against the bottom of the retort, holding the door in a horizontal position, with the inside face of the door substantially on a level with t-hebottom of the retort.

The retorts project from the furnace at the 7 front and rear. At the top of each retort, near the front thereof, the downward-pro ecting branches of the pipes a are introduced into the retorts and serve to conduct the steam, as aforesaid, fromthe coil of pipe D, in which the steam from the boiler E is superheated. Between the doors a and the flue plates m (shown in section in Fig. 3) of the retorts and the lining k of the same a sufficient space is left to admit the baskets or slips 0. (Shown in Figs.{) and 10.) The frames of these baskets are made of angle-iron and the sides, bottoms, and ends of bar-iron of any suitable size. The frame-work and other portions of the basket are securely riveted in place in such a manner as to leave open parallel spaces between the bars. The sides and ends of the baskets are braced by perpendicular and diagonal braces 12, of bar-iron, riveted to the frames and the parallel bars, and the sides are'clasped across the top by the rod q, hinged to the tops of the frame on one side, and being provided at the end of the rod opposite to the hinge with a hook adapted to lit over the opposite sides of the frame, and thus securely hold the sides of the baskets in place when filled with wood.

From the bottoms of the retorts, near the rear thereof, the pipes b, Fig. 2, conduct the vapors into the large receiving-pipe Di, which is connected with the condenser B, which receives the heavier products of the distilled wood, and from which they are discharged through the trap 10 into the receiving-tank 0..

From this condenser the uncondensed vapors are conducted into the condenser B by means of a pipe, 0, which is connected to the top of the condenser B. Should it be expedient, a connectingpipe can be adjusted to the discharging-trap of condenser B, connecting with the coil of pipe 2' in condenser B, instead of leading from the top of receiver B, as shown. The coil of pipe i in the condenser B terminates in a trap, 10, through which the vapors condensed in said condenser are discharged into the receiving-tank 0, similar to the one first named.

Connected with the discharge-pipe of the coil of pipei above named is pipe 0, which conducts the uncondensed vapors into a second coil of pipe in condenser B, which has conneeted therewith similar conducting and discharging pipes to those above described, by which the products of distillation condensed in condenser B are discharged into a receiving-tank, G, and the uncondensed vapors are conducted by a pipe, 0, into a coil of pipe in condenser B. Any number of condensers may be arranged in like manner, preferably a sufficient number to condense all the products of the wood capable of being condensed.

From the cold-water tank G, which is supplied by the tank-punip F, a pipe, 1?, conducts cold water into condenser 13, Fig. 2, near the top thereof. This condenser is placed upon a stand or frame somewhat higher than condenser B. From the opposite side from the point where the cold-water pipe is connected with condenser B is a similar coldwaterpipe, 22, Figs. 1 and 2, which is connected therewith and conducts the water to condenser B, near the bottom of the tank, adjacent to condenser 13, and from the opposite side from this point of connection, but near the top of the condenser or tank, another pipe '1) connects condensers B and B; and condensers B" and B are similarly connected. The condenser 13 is placed somewhat higher than condenser 5, and condenser 13'' somewhat higher than condenser B, and so on, by which arrangement there is sufficient pressure obtained to cause the cooling water to constantly flow from the higher condenser to the next one to it, and so on. To the bottom of all the condensers except the condenser B wash-out pipes at are attached, being arranged with cut-offs t, as shown in Fig. 8 only, being hidden in'the other figures. The coldwater pipes connecting the condensers are also supplied with cut-offs, as shown at s in Fig. 8.

It is obvious that water in the tank of condenser B, which receives the heated vapors from the retorts, will be ordinarily at a higher temperature than that of the tank of the condenser B, and the water in this tank will be at a higher te'n'ipcratu re than that of the tank of the next condenser, and so with the remaining tanks. As the different products of distillation require different temperatures for condensing, it follows that they may be separated by keeping the watcr in the condensers at di fferent temp craturcs. If the cooling water, for instance, goes into the first tank at all vapors which can be condensed at this temperature become liquids in the coil of. pipe in this tank. If the cooling-water runs over from the tank at 100, all vapors which will be con densed at that temperature become liquids in the coil of pipe in the second tank, so that the different products of distillation are thus separately condensed. If a number of condensers are employed, the time for distilling a given quantity of wood is much shorter than if but one or two condensers are employed.

In the operation of my invention the wood to be distilled is placed in the iron baskets, which are shoved into the retorts, the doors of which are properly closed. Then heat is first applied to the retorts through the furnaces P P, and when the wood has become thoroughly heated, steam from the boiler E,

that has been superheated in the coil of pipe D in the furnace 1, is introduced into the space between the sides of the retort and the lining 7. and through the perforations it into ICC the retort, by which means it is evenly dis tributed upon and throughout the wood in the basket. The perforated iron plate m also facilitates the even distribution of the superheated steam throughout the wood in the hasket. The heated steam enters the pores of the wood contained in the baskets and facilitates the discharge therefrom of the products which are distilled. These products pass in the form of vapor through the openings in the rear part of the retort down into pipe I), thence into the large receivingpipe D, which conducts them into the condensers, where they are condensed. in the manner heretofore described.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a wood-distilling apparatus, the con1- bination, with a retort, A, provided with a perforated lining, it, between which and the walls of the retort proper there is a space, of the baskets or slips r, adapted to receive the wood to be distilled and to be supported by the lining, means, substantially as described, for introducing steam into said space and through the perforations in said lining, and a f u rnace beneath said retort, as set forth.

2. In a wood-distilling apparatus, the combination, with a retort, A, provided with a perforated lining, 7:, between which and the walls of the retort proper there is a space, of the baskets or slips 1, adapted to receive the wood to be distilled and to be supported by the lining, means, as described, for introduci-ng superheated steam into said space and through said perforations, perforated plate or partition m, outlet port or pipe Z), and a furnace beneath said retort, as set forth.

3. In a wood-distilling apparatus, the combination, with the retort A, of the baskets or slips r, adapted to receive the wood to be distilled and to be supported in the retort, means, substantially as described, for introducing suheated steam to the retort and distributing it evenly upon and throughout the wood in the baskets or slips, perforated plate or partition m, arranged in the retort near the rear end thereof, and outlet pipe or port b, as set forth.

4. In a wood-distilling apparatus, the combination, with the body of the condenser, a pipe connected therewith for admitting the vapors to be condensed, a coil of pipe in the condenser to contain the vapors to be condensed, a pipe connected with said coil of pipe to conduct the uncondensed vapors to an adjacent condenser, a pipe connected with the bottom of the condenser to conduct cold water to the same, and a pipe connectedwith the top of the condenser to conduct the cold water therefrom, a discharging trap, 10, through which the condensed vapors are discharged, and a wash-out pipe, a, connected with the bottom of the condenser, and provided with a cutoff, 15, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

5. In a distillery for wood, the combination of the superheater D, the pipes a (1, connecting the superheater and retortA, the retorts having linings 7c, perforations 7c, flue plate m, pipes I), receiving-pipe D, condenser B, con necting-pipe e, condenser B, connecting-plpe e, condenser B, connecting pipe 0, condenser B', connecting-pipe 6", and condenser 13, each connecting-pipe being provided with a discharging-trap,r0, each of said condensers being also connected by cold-water plpes v, and each condenser being provided with a wash-out pipe, w, as set forth.

6. In a wood-distilling apparatus, the combination, with the superheater D and retort A, and pipes a (1, connecting the superheater with the retort, of the lining is of the retort,- provided with the perforations It, the baskets or slips 1, partitions m, provided with the perforations m, pipe b, and condenser, as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 12th day ofApril,1886.

AUGUSTE F. SCHMITT.

Vitnesses:

DANA J. LARKINS, FRANK A. SMALL. 

